Extent of flood damage in Ipswich starts to come to light
07 March 2022
The true scale of the recovery effort has begun to emerge as the flood clean-up continues across Ipswich.
Local Disaster Management Group Chair Mayor Teresa Harding said council, emergency services, volunteers and the community had been working around the clock since the rain started over a week ago.
“Council puts the community at the front of everything we do,” Mayor Harding said.
“As the community banded together with about 933 volunteers registered for the Ipswich clean-up, council immediately responded to the unfolding flooding disaster by diverting as many staff and machinery as possible to low-lying areas.
“There have been three times as much waste disposed in the past week than usual with more than 6,000 tonnes of waste delivered to landfill.
“Businesses and community groups were supported by the delivery of 140 free skip bins.
“There were 4,776 visits to the Riverview and Rosewood Recycle and Refuse Centres which has been opened for extended hours and residents were invited to dispose of flood-related waste for free.
“There were hundreds of tonnes of household items collected by trucks and heavy machinery from mounds of waterlogged waste lining footpaths as part of council’s free kerbside collection in flooded suburbs.”
Crucial data has been provided by the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service, who have completed initial damage assessments across Ipswich.
“There have been 688 damage assessments conducted with 535 buildings impacted by flood waters,” Mayor Harding said.
“Four hundred and eighteen of those are in Goodna, Bundamba and North Booval.”
Council crews are continuing to inspect and repair critical infrastructure including roads, bridges, buildings and facilities.
“In the past week council crews have patched 700 potholes using 300 tonnes of asphalt,” Mayor Harding said.
“During the peak of the flood 101 roads were closed across Ipswich and we currently have 17 roads closed with 14 of those are still covered by water and three will need repairs from the flood damage before they can be reopened.”
Personal hardship financial assistance is also available for those affected by the recent rainfall and flooding in Ipswich with a range of commonwealth and state jointly funded assistance grants.
“While the clean-up is well underway, the financial burden to business and residents will continue for quite some time,” Mayor Harding said.
“As of this morning, about 5,000 community members have applied for the personal hardship payment.
“There have also been 62,000 insurance claims across Queensland with an estimated $936 million in private insurance claims lodged.”
The Ipswich Flood Recovery information webpage can be accessed at Ipswich.qld.gov.au/floodrecovery